The present invention relates to motorized louvered shutters for windows and the like, and to a motorized unit to enable conversion of manually operated louvered shutters.
Interior shades are widely employed, particularly in commercial buildings, to control the sunlight entering into the interior of the buildings, and they are particularly useful in limiting interior heating caused by the sun""s rays and the resultant electrical demands for air conditioning. They also serve the function of limiting radiation losses due to convection of air within the interior and into contact with the cold windows over which they are placed.
More recently, large louvered shutters have been proposed for use in commercial buildings. Such shutters have a frame in which a multiplicity of louver slats are pivotally mounted; the louver slats are normally horizontally oriented, although some installations utilize a vertical orientation. Although such shutters may utilize manual cord pulls or other manipulatable elements to effect the pivotal movement for opening or closing, it is desirable to employ a motorized unit to effect that opening and closing.
Some buildings utilize controls which automatically open and close the shades at a predetermined time in an effort to control energy consumption. It would be advantageous to apply this principle to louvered shutters.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel motorized louvered shutter which is relatively economical to fabricate and reliable in operation.
It is also an object to provide such a motorized shutter which can be produced by inserting a compact drive assembly into an aperture in the frame for the shutter either as a factory installation or as a field installation on shutters which have been previously installed.
Another object is to provide such a motorized shutter in which there is included means to limit the potential for damage to the louver slats of the shutter and/or the gear drive in the event of manual pivoting of one or more of the slats or of over-energization of the motor.
It has now been found that the foregoing and related objects may be readily attained in a motorized shutter assembly comprising a frame having a pair of parallel spaced frame members and a multiplicity of louver slats extending between the frame members and having shafts extending into and pivotably seated in the frame members. Coupling means is engaged with the louver slats to produce concurrent pivotal movement of the louver slats in either direction, and an adapter on one of the frame members has a drive portion engaged with the end of one of the louver slats. The adapter is rotatable to effect pivotal movement of the one slat and thereby the multiplicity of slats in either direction. A reversible drive motor assembly is engaged with the adapter to effect its rotation and thereby the slats in either direction. Also included are power supply means for the drive motor assembly, and control means for the power supply means.
Generally, the drive motor assembly includes a multiplicity of intermeshed gears including input and output gears to reduce the speed of rotation from that of the driven input gear and to increase the torque at the output gear. The adapter and the output gear have interfitting coupling elements which desirably include a coupling member engaged with the output gear and having a slot therein seating a rib on the adapter.
Preferably, the adapter includes a clutch to protect the gears of the gear assembly from injury in the event of an obstruction preventing, or manual action causing, rotation of the slats. The clutch is provided by a body member with a base wall and a side wall, a recess therein and a transverse slot seating the end of the one slat. A shaft extends therethrough and a coil spring in the recess extends about the shaft. A washer bears on the outer end of the spring, a clutch plate bears upon the outer surface of the base wall, and interengaging means is provided on the base wall and clutch plate.
The control means includes a switch operable by a sensor and a transmitter for sending a signal to the sensor and the power supply means is a batter. The control means includes a power monitor to terminate power supply to the motor assembly in the event that the slat cannot be further rotated, and the motor gear assembly, power supply means and control means are disposed within a housing disposed in a cavity in the one frame member.